R20m steroid lab raid

Crime & Courts / 30 May 2014, 10:55am

LALI VAN ZUYDAM

Pretoria - An estimated R20 million worth of illegal steroids were found in a three-bedroomed townhouse in a luxury Silver Lakes estate on Wednesday evening by the Boschkop police after security guards reported a foul smell coming from the unit.

“A member of Boschkop police station was driving around the Silver Lakes area when a security guard at one of the complexes stopped him and asked for assistance,” said police spokeswoman Captain Marissa van der Merwe.

The guard detected a strong smell coming from one of the units at the Aani-Pad complex on Silver Lakes Road at about 3pm. The smell is believed to have come from two men making steroids in the house.

“On investigation, police found boxes full of illegal substances in the garage. They also found two suspects in the house. They were arrested at about 8pm,” Van der Merwe said.

One of the suspects is a 30-year-old Egyptian national and the other a 21-year-old South African.

It is believed the Egyptian suspect helped the South African build muscle through the use of steroids.

The younger suspect wore a shirt on Thursday labelled: “Power is not born. It’s made.”

It is believed both men used steroids.

Police are still investigating where the men got the substances from and what they were planning to do with them.

“We also found a lab with equipment where they were making steroids,” Van der Merwe said.

Along with the illegal substances, police also found at least 20 boxes with pill capsules, medical packaging, glass bottles and chemicals.

Among the substances found was Primo 100, an injectable version of the steroid Methenolone, Andrex (testosterone), and Testoviron, a blend of two different testosterone products.

Also found were drips, grape seed oil and benzyl benzoate, used to treat skin infection.

Steroids are schedule 5 drugs that can only be prescribed by a medical doctor under certain circumstances.

Police were processing the scene until late on Thursday.

The men will face charges of fraud and contravention of the medicines and health acts when they appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court.

Hawks spokesman Paul Ramaloko said they have yet to determine how long the suspects have been operating from the house.

He says authorities believe the suspects are part of a bigger syndicate.

“The Medicines Control Council said it was one of the biggest busts it had seen in a long time,” said Van der Merwe.